Katherine Neville

Enjoyed reading this book.
The plot is intricate, or should I say labyrinthine? It has plot within a plot. Story within a story. Flashback with in a flashback. This novel though enchanting (like the Arabian Nights), it is by no means an easy read - it demands ample time and concentration.

What makes the novel interesting as well as complicated is the timelines. The novel has two timelines 1) late 1700s during the time of the French revolution 2) 1970s. This timeline is narrated in the first person.

I love history, especially the medieval history. The plot revolves around a horde of historical personalities - Napolean, Catherine of Russia, Volatire, Rosseau, William Blake, Wordsworth, Marat, Czar Peter, Alexander, Isaac Newton, Fourier, etc.,Every character has a story to tell!

The plot centers on alchemy, elixir and Philosopher's stone. Cryptograms and symbology kept me really hooked. In these aspects, the book scores better than Da Vinci Code.

However, a few portions of the novel are painfully stretched, repetitive and confusing. But this novel was published way back in 1988. I assume people had a lot more time back then.… (mer)

La pobreza puede mover a algunos a cantar blues, pero la riqueza y la codicia parecen exigir una musica a mayor escala: la opera.Bien sabia yo a que alturas elevaba el tema del dinero las almas de los hombres. Era banquero. Aunque, para ser exactos con el genero, deberia decir 'banquera': un cerebro en ordenadores y la ejecutiva mas cotizada del todopoderoso Banco del Mundo.Si no hubiera ganado tanto dinero, no tendria un asiento en un palco de la C"pera de San Francisco, y si no hubiera estado sentada en mi palco aquella aburrida noche de noviembre, nunca se me habria ocurrido la idea. La idea consistia en como hacer mas dinero.… (mer)